


The One Where Dave Explains

by eighth_chiharu



Series: The One Where Dave's a Vampire [3]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood Drinking, Incest, M/M, Sibling Incest, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 20:58:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7453714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eighth_chiharu/pseuds/eighth_chiharu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Dirk's had a bad taste of the vampiric life, his big brother Dave wants to show him it's not all bad. Some of it can even be a little pleasant? (Slight underage toward the end.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. abide

Dirk is compartmentalizing, and it worries Rose.

She’s gone along with everything he’s wanted to do since he woke up, even obtaining blood for Dave, but it’s all going far too smoothly. He’s a child; magic and monsters are a natural part of a child’s world, but even children have a limit. Dirk was attacked, threatened twice in one night, once by someone he trusts, and once by someone who claims to have ties to him. His world has been violently shifted - _again._ His need to keep busy is textbook, but his lack of acknowledgment regarding what happened to him - not to Dave, but to _Dirk_ \- is troubling.

She wants to discuss the recent events with him, encourage him to share his feelings, but she doesn’t have all the facts. If she misspeaks during this critical time, it could have repercussions she doesn’t even want to contemplate. She can’t have this talk alone. She needs Dave.

And he’s busy being dead.

Reprimanding herself for her unfair attitude, she turns her thoughts toward keeping Dirk and herself occupied for just a little longer. Dinner, probably, and maybe a game. Anything to help Dirk feel that things are going back to normal.

Because there’s nothing for them to do but wait.


	2. first light

  * One minute Dave’s fighting Bro to get Dirk back; the next he’s in his bed, staring at the wall. It’s sudden and disorienting. He’s not used to dreaming.
  * He’s on his side, cradling someone who isn’t there. The sun is two hours away from setting. He doesn’t look at his phone or the TV; he doesn’t need to. He knows where the sun is as surely as birds know which way is north. Innately.
  * When he emerges from his room, hungry, pushing his sunglasses into place, Rose and Dirk are at the small kitchen table. The weight of the sun drags at him from the shrouded windows, invisible and oppressive. It matches the atmosphere in the room.
  * She looks up from her knitting when he draws closer, her gaze sharp. Dirk glances over, his smile wobbling at the corners. He goes back to his workbook, solving sixth-grade math problems with purple crayon at an uncanny speed.
  * Dave waits, but Dirk doesn’t get up, doesn’t run to him like he usually does. Dave’s chest tightens, as if his heart has caved in on itself.
  * Rose nods toward the refrigerator.
  * “He figured out you need blood. He got it for you. And before you ask, maybe now would be a good time to tell him exactly what’s going on." 




	3. truly safe

Cautiously, Dave pulls a chair out and sits. He extends a hand to stroke Dirk’s hair, but the child tenses, eyes on his worksheet. Dave draws his hand back, and from where she’s sitting, Rose can see him shove both hands between his legs and sit on them.

She knew they should’ve had this talk the moment they were rid of Ambrose, but she was too soft. She was exhausted and scared herself; she wanted to just _be_ for a while, to let Dave comfort Dirk, let him reassure the boy. It was badly done on her part. Next time, if there is a next time, she’ll be more insistent. Hurts not addressed can become infected.

She picks up a knitting marker and slides it into her yarn, then rolls the whole lot into a small bundle and stands. “I think you two might converse better without me. You can fill me in when I return. We’ll have tea, and –”

Dirk almost falls out of his seat as he jumps up, dismay pinching his young features. “No! Don’t leave! What if –”

At the same time, Dave, the oldest of them all, his voice calmer but no less pleading, "I don’t think that’s necessary, you don’t have to –”

They fall silent when they realize they’ve both spoken. Dave tries a small chuckle, offering a smile to Dirk. “Guess we both like having Rose around, huh?”

Dirk latches onto Rose’s wrist, despite the fact that Rose hasn’t moved one step since they both protested. He shrugs.

Dave glances at Rose. She raises her eyebrows at him, gives him a tiny nod. They really do need to talk, he and Dirk.

"Here, dear,” she says, gently disengaging Dirk’s grip, “go with Dave. He needs to explain things. Perhaps in the other room, where you can have privacy –”

“But if you leave –” Dirk starts, then clamps his jaw shut.

Rose blinks. “I’m not going to leave, honey. I’ll be right here at the table, I promise.”

Dirk frowns, gaze flicking from her to Dave and back, his distress palpable. “But… but if you’re not here… who’s gonna help me if something happens?”


	4. steady now

  * Dirk’s words stings in a way Dave can’t explain. In the same way it hurt when Bro killed him, but more. 
  * Bro meant to hurt Dave. Dirk doesn’t.
  * Rose wants to take over, Dave can tell. The way her heartbeat speeds up, the way her blood moves a little faster, the way her breath catches ever-so-slightly. She wants to reassure Dirk, maybe fib to him.
  * Dave has had enough lies in his life.
  * He signals to Rose that he has this. He keeps still, even leans back some to give Dirk more air, more room. He keeps his tone thoughtful, though his soul is aching. He can’t lose Dirk’s trust, he _can’t._
  * “What do you think might happen, Dirk? You think I might, maybe, try to bite you?" 




	5. olive branch

  * Dirk nods, then shrugs, then blushes.
  * Dave doesn’t laugh or tease. He doesn’t dismiss Dirk’s fear as ridiculous when there’s real, tangible proof that Dave has done something to hurt him.
  * Dave’s not like Bro. He won’t be, he refuses. He’ll be a better brother to Dirk than Bro ever was to Dave.
  * Dirk is too special to treat like something worthless.
  * Dave braces himself for more fear, more rejection, although it’s not really possible to get ready for that kind of thing.
  * He opens his mouth to tell the truth, and suddenly has a wonderful, warming, light bulb moment. _Truth._ Of course.
  * “Okay. Rose says you know what’s going on. Not to be all Twilight, but yeah, I’m a vampire. It’s mostly just lame. And I don’t usually bite anyone, but I can do it. It doesn’t hurt, though. I swear. And, uh, maybe it’d be best, if we, y'know, try it? So you can see?”




	6. try it

  * Rose starts. Her arm twitches, as if she’s going to grab Dirk, or reach for some arcane defense. Dave waits.
  * Dirk frowns and sucks at his lower lip. His emotions are obvious, running over his sweet face in a stream. Fear, confusion. Thoughtfulness. Wonder.
  * Rose calms slowly. She’s apprehensive, and that’s good. If she wasn’t here, as Dirk said, to stop something from happening, Dave wouldn’t even try this. It’s dangerous. But Dirk is important, so important. He’s the most precious thing Dave has, even including Dave’s own life.
  * He needs Dirk to believe in him.
  * Still hesitant, Dirk steps closer to the table. He adjusts his grip on Rose so that he’s holding her hand, and then slowly extends his arm, palm up. Resolve sets his small features, the frown deepening.
  * “Okay. But only a little bite.”




	7. but take care

“Okay.”   
  
Dave agrees with the proper solemnity, without Rose detecting even a particle of amusement. He’s taking this seriously - very seriously, if he isn’t even trying to make fun of himself - and that raises him a notch in her estimation. She’s not sure of the plan, but she’s sure of his intentions. It helps.

A bouquet of cliches bounces through her mind as she opens herself up to the pool of power twenty storeys down, deep in the ley lines of the Earth. _The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Relationships with vampires are so draining._ The last was a bumper sticker in a goth shop, but it holds true so far.

The magic trickles into her, illuminating her insides with a light she can only feel, not see. It thrums at the boundaries she imposes on it, and calls to her to let it loose, let it fill her up and burn her out, make her one of the stars.  
She adjusts her hold on her knitting instead.

Dave’s gaze is more pressure than seen, too, and it brushes her knitting, her face, and her hand where it holds Dirk’s small fingers. It’s not threatening, merely informational; Dave doing his part to make certain that all is in readiness before he attempts this little piece of insanity.

Rose would like to say she trusts Dave’s self-control implicitly, but she does her utmost not to lie, not even to herself.  
  
Dave steps up to the table until the wood makes small indentations in the soft fabric of his pyjamas. Dirk presses back against Rose, but other than that, and his huge eyes, he holds steady. Dave slides a hand beneath Dirk’s arm, cupping it in his palm.  
  
“Don’t hurt me,” Dirk says quickly, fingers spasming.

“I won’t,” Dave promises.

Rose hopes he means it; but if he doesn’t, she’s prepared to do what needs doing.


	8. you might like it

  * Dave lowers his face to Dirk’s arm, going slowly. He tells himself it’s so that he doesn’t scare Dirk, and that’s a part of it, yeah, but it’s not the whole truth. He’s savoring it, this gradual approach. Drawing closer to the delicious, thrumming, metallic scent. The heat. 
  * He presses his cold lips to Dirk’s soft forearm, and the boy gasps.
  * Rose shifts her weight, her heartbeat fast, the magic inside her prickling at the back of Dave’s neck. He ignores her. He has something more important in front of him. 
  * The hunger in him moves restlessly, urges him to hurry, to strike hard, drink fast. He ignores that, too. He’s taking his time. He’s making sure Dirk is safe, that this is painless. That it’s _better_ than painless.
  * Languidly, he runs his tongue over a small blue vein. Dirk makes another noise, this time a softer one, more drawn out and breathy. Dave glances up to confirm what his ages-old senses tell him: Dirk’s heartbeat is slowing, pink color suffusing his cheeks, his throat, his arms. He stares at Dave with pupils blown too wide for even this low light, and wets his lower lip with his small tongue.
  * Dave winks at him. Then he opens his mouth and bites down.




	9. * * * *

It’s like nothing I. It’s. It’s different than anything. I can’t find words.   
  
I can feel his teeth – _it’s his teeth, he really did it, he really_ bit _me_ – and his mouth, and it’s pulling, like when I comb my hair and the comb gets caught on a snag. It hurts a little, but far away. And…  
  
Use my words.  
  
It’s cold and hot at the same time, like holding ice for so long it hurts. Except it doesn’t hurt. Like when I’m sick and dizzy and have to stay home, except it’s not bad. It’s not. It’s … it’s… 

 _Words_.  
  
Dave let me sleep with him last night. He held me. Dave’s holding my arm now. I want him to hold the rest of me. Do this more. I want Dave to lay by me. I want him to hold me and I want…

I _want…_

_“…oh.”  
_

I do the laying-down part. I hope Dave does, too.


	10. aware

Rose gives a startled gasp when Dave is suddenly crouching beside her, Dirk limp in his arms. She didn’t even see him move, and there’s a second of panic – what’s he done, I wasn’t watching closely enough, what’s he _done_? – before Dave stands, a rueful smile on his face, Dirk unconscious in his arms.

“Sorry. I didn’t want him to fall. That wasn’t – He should be okay. I’m just not used to kids. Or anyone. Had it turned up kinda high for him, I think.”

Kind of high, indeed. She gives him her flattest Mother Stare. “Next time – and don’t misunderstand me, because there will be no next time – perhaps you could rein yourself in. For Dirk’s sake.”

His smile wilts. “Yeah.”

Shooting him another glare, mostly because he’s frightened her, she runs her hands over Dirk while Dave holds him like a baby or a princess, utilizing a tiny trickle of magic to See him inside and out. Regardless of Dave’s reassurances, she needs to see for herself that Dirk isn’t harmed. She examines his aura, his heart. She checks his soul.

Dave watches, trying hard to be patient. He’s bad at it. "He all right, Doc?“ he asks at last, and the echo of worry there reassures her that he at least meant well. "Everything check out?”

She nods, but she feels as though she’s missing something. She picks up Dirk’s arm and studies the dual pinpricks there. The wounds are tiny and innocuous, already scabbing. There’s no swelling, no sign of morbidity or infection, magical or otherwise. “… it seems so. Dirk?” She pats his arm. “Wake up, dear.”

Dirk stirs and mumbles something, shifting in an attempt to curl in towards Dave. She releases his arm.

Dave adjusts his hold, cradling Dirk easily as if he weren’t sixty pounds of nine-year-old. His voice is soft, reassuring. “Shh, relax, kiddo. You’re gonna take a little nap, okay? Just got a little excited, that’s all. You’re fine.” He pats Dirk’s back and presses a careful kiss to Dirk’s temple.

Rose doesn’t dare look away. She still has a duty to perform, protection to offer, but this moment… it’s so intimate. It doesn’t appear to be much, but for some reason, it is. Rose is surprised to find she feels like an intruder. She was beginning to think of them as a small family, close enough to share their secrets, but this…

She’s jealous, she realizes. Between one breath and the next it comes clear, and she’s immediately embarrassed that such a petty emotion should have any toehold in her heart. Jealous of a child and his guardian? Ridiculous. She’s never experienced such a sensation, not ever. She loves children: their creativity, their excitement, their tenacity. She helps them for a reason. She wants Dirk to feel safe, to be loved. She wants him to grow up happy and fulfilled.

But the envy is there.

“Rose?”

Dave has shown Dirk another small slice of his true self. In a safe environment, true, and obviously relying on Rose to assist, but he’s shown it to Dirk, for Dirk’s sake. Dirk has been touched by Dave’s power. He’s felt it. He knows a side of it Rose doesn’t. He knows more, understands more, even if it’s buried inside a child’s understanding. He’s even closer now.

To Dave. Dave and his _power_.

Self-understanding brings calm. The covetous feeling dissipates with a silent sigh, and Rose lifts Dirk’s arm again and runs her finger over the bites there. Thoughtfully, she places her own already-fading marks over his, the ball of her thumb brushing his forearm. A trace of power seems to linger there, stretching beneath their matching wounds, but she could be imagining it. Is it her own frisson of excitement at discovery, or an actual magical attachment?

“Rose? Earth to Spooky Witch, come in. You’re freaking me out here.”

She looks up.

Dave is peering at her with concern. “You find something? Is he hurt?”

She releases Dirk, shaking her head. Her hair moves in its own magical current, settling slowly around her face. She relishes the roil of it inside her for one more moment, then it, too, is let go. “He seems well enough. Lay him on the couch so we can watch him, just to be certain.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Gotta be careful with this stuff, or blam, tits up, pear-shaped and there’s no coming back from it. Know what I mean?”

Rose nods. She does indeed. Her fingers fold in, caressing the bite marks on her palm.

“Okay. Tuck the little nipper in, then breakfast. Then –.”

“Then we talk. You require a new provider. I warn you, I won’t allow Dirk to become your food source.” It’s a big threat, almost empty considering how strong Dave is, but it has to be made. She cares for Dirk first, above all.

Dave makes a face. “I wouldn’t, Rose. He’s too little. And contrary to all the evidence that’s piled up in the last 24 hours, I don’t drink human blood. But you’re right. Let’s have a drink and hash this out. None of us needs a repeat of last night." 

He hugs Dirk again, petting the boy’s hair, his expression turning inward, distant. "Yeah. Tits up. That just never ends well.”


	11. awake

I guess I sleep for a while, because when I wake up, Dave and Rose are sitting like they were last night, Rose in her chair and me in Dave’s lap. If this is where I get to be anytime he bites me, I don’t think it’s that bad.

I gotta pee though, so I sit up. Dave smooshes my hair, and Rose says hello like getting bit is no big deal. I look at my arm, but there’s not much of a mark there. Just tiny ones, like mosquito bites. Baby mosquitos. But they don’t even itch.

Dave was right, it didn’t really hurt. He was careful. I could tell. Not like Uncle Ambrose. That guy’s an asshole. Then I remember I only just met Ambrose last night, and that seems crazy. It’s more like a billion years ago, but it isn’t. It’s weird how new stuff makes you forget old stuff, even when the old stuff just happened.

Rose and Dave watch me when I get up to go to the bathroom, but I’m okay. They don’t say anything, and I make sure to walk normally, not even my sleepy walk, even though I’m kind of tired. I get to the bathroom and shut the door, and they don’t jump up after me, so I must be doing pretty good.

Until I pull my pants down to go, and my underwear sticks to me.

I have to tug at it to get it to come off, and when it does, there’s this weird, crusty white stuff in there, right in the front, on the inside. I take them all the way off and stare at it, real close.

Did I pee myself? Is this what pee looks like when it dries?

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t, but I haven’t wet myself in a long time, and I never washed it when it happened. Mom did. So maybe… maybe this is dried pee?

… I have to admit I don’t have any idea. I’ll Google it later. But I sure don’t want Dave or Rose to see it. If they find out I peed myself when Dave bit me, they won’t let him bite me again. Not that I wanna get bit because of the biting part, that’s weird, but the rest of it… I dunno, it was kinda nice.

I squish my eyes shut to make myself stop thinking about it, open them again, and hurry up and pee like you’re supposed to, in the toilet. Then I ball up the underwear and put my shorts back on. I slip out of the bathroom, go real fast to my room and shove the underwear all the way to the bottom of my hamper. I’ll wash it out later, when they’re not waiting for me.

I wanna get back to Dave.


End file.
